Ghana

I have recently came back from volunteering in Ghana and would like to say a hugh thankyou to all the team for all the advice given to me over the phone and via emails. You gave me the confidence to do this I volunteered in the hospital, at the schools and did an outreach project. It was truly amazing and I plan to go out again next year for longer with my 11 year old son to do health promotion in the schools. The staff at the volunteer accommodation were so helpful as well.

GLA Which stands for Global Leadership Adventures offered a life changing journey for my daughter as a 17 year old , she came back a different person meeting a diverse group of people from various countries whom she made very close friends with . They offered to go to many different countries and my daughter chose Africa \ Ghana she learned about a new culture, learned about volunteerism, mentoring the old and younger kids .It was a very Inspiring program for her working side by side with local people learning about their social issues and Community service & explore places of historic and cultural significance . As a parent I was very hesitant to send her but I am glad I did,I can indeed say that she is a much better Global Citizen since her return from Africa.

I went on the Children of Africa 3 week trip in Ghana! There is so much to say! GLA gave me an opportunity I never thought I could have at this young of an age. I was able to make a difference in peoples lives, at the age of 16! Like anyone would be, I was nervous at first! I mean who wouldn't be, but as soon as i stepped foot into Ghana i was overcome with excitement! Me and the other students on my flight were welcomed right away at the gate by mentors from GLA! Throughout the first few days we were introduced to all our fellow students and our mentors we would be living with for the next 3 weeks! Then things really got started! I started brick making! And teaching! and going on excursions! it was beyond amazing! I fell in love with it all! The people who i lived with, that the first day i called strangers, I now called family. Everyday i got to meet new people, try new things, and learn new amazing things! Because of this trip, I am a better person, I try new things, and i view things with a different, more positive eye. I would not trade this trip for anything and because of this trip it made me realize i want to volunteer in my future more.

I went on the Children of Africa 3 week trip in Ghana! There is so much to say! GLA gave me an opportunity I never thought I could have at this young of an age. I was able to make a difference in peoples lives, at the age of 16! Like anyone would be, I was nervous at first! I mean who wouldn't be, but as soon as i stepped foot into Ghana i was overcome with excitement! Me and the other students on my flight were welcomed right away at the gate by mentors from GLA! Throughout the first few days we were introduced to all our fellow students and our mentors we would be living with for the next 3 weeks! Then things really got started! I started brick making! And teaching! and going on excursions! it was beyond amazing! I fell in love with it all! The people who i lived with, that the first day i called strangers, I now called family. Everyday i got to meet new people, try new things, and learn new amazing things! Because of this trip, I am a better person, I try new things, and i view things with a different, more positive eye. I would not trade this trip for anything and because of this trip it made me realize i want to volunteer in my future more.

I went on the Children of Africa 3 week trip in Ghana! There is so much to say! GLA gave me an opportunity I never thought I could have at this young of an age. I was able to make a difference in peoples lives, at the age of 16! Like anyone would be, I was nervous at first! I mean who wouldn't be, but as soon as i stepped foot into Ghana i was overcome with excitement! Me and the other students on my flight were welcomed right away at the gate by mentors from GLA! Throughout the first few days we were introduced to all our fellow students and our mentors we would be living with for the next 3 weeks! Then things really got started! I started brick making! And teaching! and going on excursions! it was beyond amazing! I fell in love with it all! The people who i lived with, that the first day i called strangers, I now called family. Everyday i got to meet new people, try new things, and learn new amazing things! Because of this trip, I am a better person, I try new things, and i view things with a different, more positive eye. I would not trade this trip for anything and because of this trip it made me realize i want to volunteer in my future more.

I went on the Children of Africa 3 week trip in Ghana! There is so much to say! GLA gave me an opportunity I never thought I could have at this young of an age. I was able to make a difference in peoples lives, at the age of 16! Like anyone would be, I was nervous at first! I mean who wouldn't be, but as soon as i stepped foot into Ghana i was overcome with excitement! Me and the other students on my flight were welcomed right away at the gate by mentors from GLA! Throughout the first few days we were introduced to all our fellow students and our mentors we would be living with for the next 3 weeks! Then things really got started! I started brick making! And teaching! and going on excursions! it was beyond amazing! I fell in love with it all! The people who i lived with, that the first day i called strangers, I now called family. Everyday i got to meet new people, try new things, and learn new amazing things! Because of this trip, I am a better person, I try new things, and i view things with a different, more positive eye. I would not trade this trip for anything and because of this trip it made me realize i want to volunteer in my future more.

Over winter break, I participated in a 3-week public health internship in Dodowa, Ghana assisting the nurses of the Shai-Osodoku District Hospital by weighing and vaccinating children 0-24 months at child welfare clinics and administering first-aid (treating malaria, ring worm, cuts/sores, etc.) to school-aged children during school and orphanage visits. I really enjoyed this project because it was very hands-on. I really felt like I was learning a lot about public health outreach in a developing country, all the while giving back to the community that was helping me learn these lessons. The experience has motivated me to pursue a nursing degree upon college graduation.

I stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Armah and their four children. The family took very good care of me. Despite frequent community-wide power outages, the accommodations were adequate and comfortable. I also very much enjoyed meeting and spending time with fellow volunteers from across the world, and traveling independently across southern Ghana on the weekends.

When I was looking for a program to go abroad with I was recommended to look into Projects Abroad. I was taking a semester off and was looking for a program that had internship opportunities as well as volunteering. Specifically my time in Ghana, I was able to work on a microfinance project which worked with my school schedule, and I was also able to be a volunteer on a teaching project at a local school.

During my stay there every thing was easy and well organized. I loved the support from the staff and always felt very secure. I enjoyed my time in Ghana with projects abroad and would love to use this program again!

After an extensive amount of research, I think that Projects Abroad was the best organization that I could have chosen to go through to volunteer abroad. The thing that attracted me most to this organization was the amount of options I had to choose from on places to go and projects to choose from. I ended up choosing a medical mission in Ghana and I could not have been happier.
The process leading up to my trip was exceptional in the amount of help, support, and information projects abroad provided me with.

When I got my location, I was so grateful in how welcoming the staff was. They always made themselves available to me and the group I volunteered with. I knew that if I ever had any concerns that getting support would be so easy. One of my favorite things about the Projects Abroad staff was how protective they were of the volunteers. It was easy to see that they truly cared about us and wanted us to feel safe and have a good time.

I had the most amazing experience in Ghana and I know that I have Projects Abroad to thank. They made the whole process easy and provided me with so much support.

I truly wish there were words to adequately describe just how incredible my 3 week trip on the Ghana : Children of Africa program. It was without a doubt the best 21 days of my life. The experience will change students more than they could ever imagine and they will without a doubt never be the same.

My expectations going into the trip were extremely high, but they were more than surpassed. Everything about it was seemingly perfect - the service (teaching & building bricks), cultural activities, housing, food, and workshops. The relationships built are lifelong relationships- the mentors were insightful and more personable than I can describe and the bonds formed with them and especially with the other students are unique in the best way possible. Our group became a family very quickly and to this day they are still some of my greatest friends.

I cannot emphasize enough how highly I would recommend a Global Leadership Adventures trip. The growth that takes place inside of every single person is unimaginable until one actually experiences it. Every high school student NEEDS this experience (although they might not realize it beforehand).

Check out this video I made from my trip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPxi4mRNVWk